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Ditching cable for Xbox saves Seal Beach man $70/month

April 8th, 2010, 5:12 pm by

This is the first in a short series about alternatives to TV service. More coming on Friday.
DITCHING CABLE: Jeremy Baker gave up cable after he lost his job. But he still watches the latest shows thanks to services like PlayOn, Netflix and others. Photo by CINDY YAMANAKA

Everything changed when Jeremy Baker lost his job in November 2008 — including how he watched TV.

The Seal Beach resident  didn’t watch a ton of TV but his cable bill had crept up to $130 a month. Scrambling to cut costs, he canceled cable and bought a Microsoft Xbox 360 game console.

Read more:

“I know it doesn’t make sense but I did the math. After 6 months, the Xbox was paid for,” Baker said.

It’s what he did with the Xbox that helped him save money. By changing the source of his TV service, Baker was able to watch most of his favorite shows on his TV for half of what he had paid the cable company.

He purchased PlayOn software for $30 and got a subscription to Netflix. For $8.99/month, Netflix offers unlimited access to its online video library, which includes thousands of movies and TV shows, plus one DVD rental at a time. PlayOn gave him access to several TV shows plucked from sites like the popular Hulu.com, ComedyCentral.com (including ”The Daily Show with Jon Stewart“) plus an assortment of on-demand shows from MTV, Food Networks, HGTV, SyFy and Discovery Channel.

The best part? He can still watch it all on his regular TV, thanks to the Xbox.

“I got really into watching the old ‘Law & Orders’ and every ‘SVU’ and ‘Criminal Intent,’”  Baker said. “I’m probably paying $60 a month.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 27 Comments »

Reasons why you can’t order Verizon FiOS TV

April 5th, 2010, 11:36 am by

Last week, Verizon gave Orange County the most detailed information to date on where its elusive FiOS TV and Internet is offered.

The company listed 19 zip codes in area cities that may qualify for the fiber-optic services that boasts Internet speeds of 50 megabits per second and a slate of the most HD channels nationwide. But as I mentioned in the original post, this doesn’t mean that EVERYONE who lives in those zip codes can order FiOS TV and Internet service. Jon Davies, with Verizon, offered the zip codes to help readers, not frustrate them.

“I was hoping it would help readers get a better sense of where we are — I didn’t mean to cause frustration! But, as you know, the biggest challenge we’ve always had with FiOS is making it available to everyone who wants it,” Davies said.

So, to help clarify availability in those zip codes, I’m listing reasons why you may not be able to order FiOS for your home.

1.  You live on the wrong side of the zip code. Zip codes don’t conform to the boundaries of Verizon’s footprint so some customers in these areas may be AT&T customers. Verizon is targeting its existing wired telephone base first before it expands outside its territory. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • | 20 Comments »

Verizon reveals where FiOS really is in Orange County (Drumroll please…)

April 1st, 2010, 2:30 pm by

This is not an April Fool’s Day joke. After pestering Verizon for months, I finally got more details today about the availability of Verizon’s FiOS TV and Internet service in Orange County. Apparently, 70,000 households and businesses here can order the alternative TV service powered by fiber-optic lines.

The company offered a zipcode breakdown, which doesn’t necessarily mean you can order service if you live in that zip code. Apartment or condo dwellers need permission from the landlords or homeowner associations before FiOS can offer service.

So, where is Verizon FiOS in Orange County? Drumroll please… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • | 50 Comments »

AT&T’s U-verse Internet speeds up 33%

March 30th, 2010, 8:39 am by

AT&T has expanded its faster Max Turbo Internet to all U-verse customers. The Internet plan offers 24 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream speed.

That’s well above cable Internet speeds in Orange County but below the maximum of Verizon FiOS, another telecom offering an alternative TV and Internet service. FiOS offers download speeds of up to 50 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps.

Max Turbo, which launched in Texas and Missouri in December, is $65 month if bundled with U-verse TV service. It’s $95/month for eligible small business customers. Existing plans, including the previously top speed Max Plus at 18 Mbps, are still available (see chart below).

AT&T is available in limited parts of Orange County. Cities include Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.

See the U-verse page at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/uverse
Recent AT&T U-verse stories:

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • | 9 Comments »

Orange County doesn’t go crazy for Google’s 1 gbps fiber Internet

March 26th, 2010, 3:48 pm by

Today’s the last day for cities to make a bid to get Google behind them in building a city-wide  fiber-Internet service delivering up to 1 gigabit-per-second download speeds.

As of this 10 a.m., Google said it received 600 community responses and 190,000 responses from individuals by way of cities renaming themselves, great YouTube videos, public rallies and hundreds of grassroots Facebook groups. Funny stuff.

Quite a handful hail from Orange County. An updated count will be available later today.

The 1 Gbps speed is up to 100 times faster than what many consumers get. One gigabit is 1,024 megabits, so compare it with your own service. Most cable and DSL users get about 3 megabits per second for about $20 to $30 a month.

This is also no small investment because it requires city permits and digging up the streets to lay fiber-optic cables and all the way up to a customer’s house. No wonder the company got 600 bids from cities.

“We’re thrilled to see this kind of excitement, and we want to humbly thank each and every community and individual for taking the time to participate. This enthusiasm is much bigger than Google and our experimental network. If one message has come through loud and clear, it’s this: people across the country are hungry for better and faster Internet access,” James Kelly, the product’s manager wrote on the official Google Blog.

Google now plans to review the requests and consult with city officials. The winning communities should know by the end of the year.

Here’s my unofficial list of area cities that want Google fiber:

If I left anyone out, let me know or comment below.

I didn’t spot anything from some usual suspects, like Irvine, Huntington Beach or Santa Ana. But there was one Orange County city that is definitely not interested. Laguna Beach voted against pursuing Google (read the Register story: Laguna Beach won’t apply for Google broadband).

Previously on Google:

Posted in: Internet • • • • • • • • • | 8 Comments »

Forget Hulu, cable TV! ‘Daily Show,’ ‘Colbert’ heads to TV alternative

March 26th, 2010, 12:40 pm by

If you’re still mourning the loss of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Hulu.com, there’s a new cheap source in town.

MediaMall Technologies, which sells PlayOn software to TVs to web videos, announced today that it added a link to ComedyCentral.com shows, including “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report.” The feature is in beta and available for free to existing and new PlayOn users.

The software  is installed on a home computer, which accesses online videos and TV shows from Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Video, Netflix and several other online video sources. Then, on a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and certain other networked devices compliant with the Digital Living Network Alliance, users can view the videos on their big TV — no extra cables or wiring necessary. Third-party developers also created plugins to grab on-demand videos from Food Networks, NFL, MTV and many other TV networks.

But PlayOn has really won converts because it is one of the rare ways to view Hulu videos on a regular TV. (Hulu, of course, currently offers free access to several TV shows that typically require a cable TV or paid subscription.) Earlier this month, Hulu said that the two Comedy Central shows were being pulled from its site after Hulu failed to get the rights from Viacom to continue airing the shows online.

But PlayOn isn’t free. The software is $40, though you can usually find it cheaper online and there’s a free 14-day trial. Users also need broadband Internet service plus a home network and a DLNA device, such as the game consoles. After all that is in place, there are no further charges.

However, for this new product, MediaMall says it may charge a one-time $5 to $10 fee after the Comedy Central feature graduates out of beta status, scheduled for June 2010.

“It isn’t 100% decided yet- we are still doing some research, but it is likely to be $5 to existing customers for a limited time after the release and then go up to the standard $10 price going forward,” said Tracy Burman, with MediaMall. “…There is no official agreement between ComedyCentral and PlayOn.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Sprint takes lead to get 4G wireless Internet to O.C.

March 23rd, 2010, 8:46 am by

In the race to get faster wireless Internet to Orange County, Sprint took the lead Tuesday by naming our area as one of seven new markets it plans to launch service by the end of the year.

By the end of 2010, Sprint plans to offer 4th-generation wireless service in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City and St. Louis. It previously announced that service would also begin this year in Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Specifically, Sprint tells me that 4G service will cover most of North Orange County and down to Irvine. At least that’s the plan through the end of 2010.

But that’s the 4G race report as of Tuesday, 8:22 a.m. The other prime contender is Verizon, which plans to launch its own version of 4G wireless Internet this year. The company hasn’t named Orange County as a target for its Long Term Evolution (LTE) service but last week said that it’s on track to launch 4G in up to 30 unnamed markets. We may hear more from Verizon, being that this week happens to be the CTIA Show, the annual wireless convention in Las Vegas.

Back to Sprint’s big news, the company is indeed the first in the U.S. to offer a fourth-generation of wireless Internet and phone service. Teaming up with Clearwire, Sprint launched its 4G service in September 2008 and it’s currently available in 25 cities nationwide.

Using a technology called Wimax, Sprint says that its wireless speeds are 3 to 6 megabits per second, which is “up to 10 times faster” than today’s existing 3G speeds of around 600 kilobits per second.

What’s the big deal? 4G service allows your phone, laptop or other portable 4G device to stream HD movies, download large files and create a home wireless Internet so you can skip slower DSL, according to Sprint.  Sprint set up a 4G site with more information for customers here: sprint.com/4G

More from the web:

Mobile Broadband: You’re Gonna Pay for the Convenience (GigaOm)

Previous 4G news:

Posted in: Cell phones • Internet • • • • • | 12 Comments »

Verizon Wireless’ 50 Mbps mobile network coming this year

March 19th, 2010, 11:24 am by

With next week’s CTIA Wireless show, there will be plenty of news about what our next cell phone will look like and achieve.

Verizon Wireless wanted to get ahead of the crowd and confirmed today that it is on track to build a 4G wireless network this year. Peak speeds are at 40 to 50 megabits per second download and 20 to 25 mbps upload. These must be ideal results from a lab since Verizon adds that in reality, the service will have average data rates of 5 to 12 mbps down, and 2 to 5 mbps up.

The 50 mbps would get consumers to fiber-optic Internet speeds available from Verizon FiOS and some cable companies outside of Orange County. The more realistic 5 to 12 mbps is akin to today’s DSL and cable Internet speeds. The 3G mobile wireless speeds that many cell phone companies tout today are in the barely 1 mbps range.

Verizon’s expected 4G launch? “Later this year,” said the company.

And where? “Up to 30 markets in 2010.”

And how much? Nothing determined yet, but according to BroadbandReports.com, Verizon is asking people for their input.

With that sort of launch, Orange County has got to be among one of the 30 markets since we often get grouped with Los Angeles. Don’t you think?

Fourth-generation wireless is split between two methods. There is Long Term Evolution, or LTE, which is the 4G of choice for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The other 4G is WiMax, backed by Sprint, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and many cable companies just now entering the mobile data market. Corrected, 3/20/10: Cox is going with LTE (thanks L).

If Verizon is able to get something started this year, it will be the first in the nation to offer this type of 4G service.

Faster wireless has been expected after Verizon acquired a huge chunk of wireless spectrum two years ago. Remember that? The U.S. government put local TV broadcast signals into a reserve for police, emergency and other public safety communication and auctioned off the excess spectrum to Verizon and AT&T for $16 billion in March 2008. One big result was last year’s digital TV transition, which forced TV channels to broadcast digital signals only.

Verizon added that it expects full nationwide 4G coverage by 2013.

Related:

Posted in: Cell phones • Internet • • • • • | 7 Comments »

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